Republic of Thieves read along, part the fourth

I have been waiting since like August to for THIS POST. All the stuff I couldn’t talk about the in the review? I can talk about it now! with all of you! Why can’t all Mondays be this awesome?

We’re nearly to the end, and the reveals have been coming fast and furious. Just, holy shit, WOW. Now I remember why I used the phrase brick shitting in my review. We’re not even done with the book yet, which means there’s MORE for next week!

Leave me your link in the comments, and I’ll update the post as often as I can with a list of everyone’s links.

thar be spoilers, matey, (epic, earth shattering spoilers), so questions and answers are after the jump.

1. We finally know why Sabetha dies her hair, and that’s so disturbing even the Thiefmaker under Shade’s Hill was disgusted by it. Too dark for this world? Or just right?

Eww, and Ick. And I’d always figured it was so she wouldn’t look so conspicuous. Is it too dark for this world? Unexpected yes, too dark, ehhh, after thinking about some of the ultraviolence from the first book, I don’t know if there is anything too dark for this world. I am wondering though, what happened to Sabetha’s family? She said before the Thiefmaker, she was “protected”. By her family? by someone else? Was her hair color one of the reasons the Thiefmaker adopted her out to Chains, because he wanted to be rid of her?

2. The “Asino” brothers are drunken idiots, but they’re not blind. What did you think of the little rendezvous they helped arrange for Sabetha and Locke?

Go Calo and Galdo! I don’t mind that they are pretty much comedy relief in this plotline, but it was really nice that they got to do something important. Their plan was perfect, except they forgot to keep Boulidazi occupied playing cards or something.

3. Locke managed to get everyone out of the Boulidazi mess we discussed last week . . . what do you think of this latest Boulidazi complication?

Could things get any messier? I mean, come on! Okay, so yes, Boulidazi was a complete asshole and got everything that was coming to him, but shit, what now? So everyone is up in the room, and they are trying to figure out what to do with the body, and Boulidazi’s servant comes up to check. . . and Sabetha saves the day! She makes it look like they are busy being, erm, intimate, and that Boulidazi is quite busy indeed. Brilliant quick thinking on her part! Had she not been in the room, they’d have all been completely fucked. I am really curious to see how they’re going to get his cut of the money after the play is done tho!

4.Time is flying, and the election is getting closer. Desperation calls for cheap tricks. I think my favorite so far is Sabetha’s special roof guards. What’s your favorite election dirty trick so far?

Ahh, the old ladies on the roof! I loved them. You can’t beat them up, you can’t shoot them with a crossbow, you can’t even insult them or moon them or push them off the room. Fucking genius. I also loved when Locke’s favorite corrupt cop rescues him by arresting him. The dirty trick scenes are my favorite scenes from all of these books. scads of fucking fun!

5.There’s a mole in the Deep Roots. Was that person’s identity a surprise to you? And how did you like Locke’s method of identifying the person?

The first time I read this book, it was a surprise. But if I had been paying attention, it shouldn’t have been. The guy is a drug addict, he’s trying to quit but doesn’t really want to quit, and the opposition knows he’s a druggie, and is blackmailing him. he’s a weak snake, so of course he’s going to do whatever they say.

I do appreciate how Lynch plays the long game with characterization. We knew he was a druggie right when we first met him. Everything Lynch tells us about a character, everything, it’s important. Nothing is just thrown out there. it’s all in the details, and I love that.

6.What’s so important about this Lovaris fellow? The election is right around the corner, so why introduce someone new so late in the game?

There’s barely a hundred pages left in the book! What’s the point of having another little twist in a plotline that is going to come to an end no matter what anyone does? The election is on a time schedule, there’s really no escaping the end of it. Very few Konseil members have been mentioned by name, so I guess they aren’t super important in and of themselves. Actually, nothing really about this election is important, since the politicians are all controlled by the Bondsmagi anyways. . . hey, wait a minute. . . . too bad this book didn’t come out during an election year here in the US. that would have been fucking hilarious.

7. It’s so nice that Locke and Sabetha can finally have some nice, normal dinner dates. He even cooks her dinner! But that sneaky Patience, always interrupting everything! Finally, she promises some answers. that’s nice. what, Locke is WHO? Locke is a WHAT? How much of it do you believe?

I loved all those dinner dates they went on. I want to visit Karthain just for the crazy restaurants!

Cockblocking, thy name is Patience! Why did you have to interrupt their nice romantic home cooked dinner? And after Locke went through all that trouble of getting Sabetha’s favorite foods. such a bitch!

and that reveal. holy fucking shitcakes. I don’t even know what to say. Other than simply to be an asshole, why would she lie about something like that? I do imagine that this is the direction the rest of the series is going to go in, with Locke trying to learn more about who he might have been. If it’s true, he’s got all that power at his fingertips. If the Bondsmagi are going to be going around angering whatever scared the crap out of the Eldren, and he could be a part of that, or a part of stopping it . . . makes the Austershalin Brandy scheme really look like small potatoes, doesn’t it?

Or the bitch could be lying. Jean is right, you know. The bondsmagi have known Locke’s true name for quite a while now, they peeled it right out of Jean’s head.

[…] get to question 7 just highlight the text. Anyway, this week’s questions come from Andrea from The Little Red Reviewer who has split them into different timelines – Espara and Karthain – and she used the term […]

Lynch’s use of characterisation is good. As soon as the Nikoros detail was flagged up I was intrigued at how it would be used. I felt sorry for the chap because he’s a pretty agreeable fellow.

The revelation was insane! Patience would never reveal something like that unless there was truth in it. I felt sorry for Locke but then I was overjoyed because it was fun and I had to keep reading! I like where the series is going because of it and all the Eldren stuff. It’s becoming more and more epic!

I have been going back and forward about the whole reveal thing. On one hand surely she wouldn’t lie. On the other hand how do we know she’s not just chucking that in there to stir it up – payback for the Falconer?? Okay, she says there’s no love lost but you know what it’s like with family. And then I go back to the start again!
Lynn 😀

I don’t see Patience being the sort of person to say something as downright earth shaking as that unless she is telling the truth. Perhaps she is stirring things up at the same time – keeping Locke in turmoil and placing Sabetha off-balance so she can hit them later on when they are divided… It’s a puzzle and one I want to see solved!

On 1, I suppose Sabetha has a bit of a mysterious past herself. I wonder if she was some noble’s child, and then they were killed or something.

On the last, I’m not sure if Locke really does have all the power at his fingertips… the previous wearer of his soul might have been a Bondsmage, but I think Locke’s body is ungifted. Could he be able to recover his previous life’s abilities somehow? The stuff Locke is caught up in sure is getting more wide-reaching :).

[…] heating up as we reach week four of this readalong, and this week it is hosted by Andrea over at Little Red Reviewer. As always some really interesting questions, so go check out everyone else’s answers […]

“Was her hair color one of the reasons the Thiefmaker adopted her out to Chains, because he wanted to be rid of her?” – Interesting thought. For all the other GBs we have a pretty good idea why they ended up with Chains, but it’s not nearly so clear for Sabethat. I also wonder if we’ll ever get to find out how she became an orphan?

[…] move swiftly on. Our lovely host, and provided of the questions for the week is Andrea over at Little Red Reviewer. Stop on over to join the debate! And, beware of spoilers. I’m not going to repeat it […]

You know I’m beginning to think that there’s going to be some sort of reveal about Sabetha at some point as well. What was all that protection before the Hill thing about? Not to mention when you think about it she almost had something of a protected existence with the Thiefmaker – he took her to one side and told her about the hair ‘thing’ plus giving her a poison knife – and was he responsible for getting her out of the Hill to Chains. Suspicious – after all, as we know, Mr Lynch rarely throws in things just for the sake of extra words!!!!!
Lynn 😀

“All the stuff I couldn’t talk about the in the review? I can talk about it now!”
This is what I’ve loved about this whole read-along – so many details you want to mention that have no place in a review.

“I loved all those dinner dates they went on. I want to visit Karthain just for the crazy restaurants!”
Me too! Dinner in a gilded cage hanging above the city? Yes please. And their food is extremely strange as always.

And then yes, I really, really understood what you meant by cockblocking in your email. Patience’s timing made me question her relationship with Locke’s earlier persona. I’m not too worried about the nature of Locke and the moment, and more concerned about what the Bondsmages want with him. Using him to deal with whatever dealt with the Eldren?! Oh yeah, that could be epic.

Hmm, I didn’t think much about why Patience timed her reveal at that point. I mean, when it comes to Sabetha and Locke relationship, unless there is a good reason to pull them apart (aside the election, that’s no good reason), I don’t understand why then. Which makes me believe Jean is right and they are sharing information in a way that makes you doubt everything about yourself when it might not be necessary.

I really like the term ‘cock-blocking’ because it makes me giggle like I am 16 again. So, yes, I did have to giggle a bit when Patience did a little cock-blocking. But I wasn’t giggling when Boulidazi’s assholeness created a cock-block to Locke and Sabetha giving it a second go.

I just can’t believe that Patience is being 100% with Locke on this whole hidden ID. If she was, she could provide some more tangible proof – like perhaps a dream steel memory (if those can’t be fucked with) or other people to verify at least some of it. Anyway, I am expecting Lynch to twist that twist on it’s head.

1. I wonder if her family were planning to sell her off once she got to a certain age. I know that sounds really appalling, but it is not uncommon for extra children to be sold off for prostitution, etc in our world, and Mr Lynch has not exactly created a blissful utopia for his characters to play in.

3. I love the way that nothing goes to plan for these people so that we always get to see them improvising their way out of horrible situations. Somehow it makes them seem so much more lovable but also more talented.

4. The old lady vs Jean was hilarious, as was Locke’s comment about being much less reluctant to hit elderly women . . . it made me replay him punching the Spider in the mouth! 😀

6. By this stage I am resigned to Mr Lynch’s plots being so convoluted that I can barely follow what’s going on, so I am just sitting back and enjoying the ride.

7. That was one hell of a reveal. Someone had mentioned Patience AKA Seamstress and Locke’s memory of a woman sewing in one of the previous weeks, so I was prepared for Patience as Mummy Lamora . . . but not this!!! :O

I think that there’s probably some truth to Patience’s story, but I stand by my comparison of the Bondsmagi to the fae. I don’t think what she told Locke was the whole story. I’m just incredibly glad she’s not his mom, cause that would have sucked.

FTC Stuff

some of the books reviewed here were free ARCs supplied by publishers/authors/other groups. Some of the books here I got from the library. the rest I *gasp!* actually paid for. I'll do my best to let you know what's what.